[Previous entry: "From French to Freedom"] [Main Index] [Next entry: "Spiking Babies"]

03/13/2003 Entry: "Unix Utility - Banish ^M forever!"

Hate ^M in your unix files, but it's a pain in the ass to reconfigure SourceSafe or your regular non-emacs editor? Here's a little script to clean those things out of files en masse. (Hey! That's French! I'll let it slide just this once.) Any constructive suggestions for improvement or enhancement are appreciated.

#!/bin/bash
# Program:  mstrip
# Author:   Spastic Mutant mutant@spasticmutant.com
#
#
# This program removes the ^M character from files.
# If necessary it makes the file writable, strips 
# out the ^M's from the file, then returns it to 
# read-only permissions.  ^M is ascii 0xA, which is
# represented as '\r' below.  It represents the Dos
# LineFeed which Unix editors and certain compilers
# hate more than anything in the universe.
#
#
changed='no'
for i in $* ;
do
echo $i
# is it writable?  If so, then leave it writable.
if [ -w $i ] ; then
    cp $i temp
    tr -d '\r' < $i > temp
    changed='no'    
else
#it's read only.  Make it writable while we alter it.
    chmod +w $i
    cp $i temp
    tr -d '\r' < $i > temp
    changed='yes'
fi
    cp temp $i
    if [[ $changed = "yes" ]]; then
    # if I changed the permissions to +w, change it back
    # using -w.
        chmod -w $i
    fi
    #delete my temp file.  I don't need it anymore.
    rm temp
done

DISCLAIMER: This web page was constructed with 100% recycled electrons (or, during shortages, at least 35% post-consumer electrons). No electrons were harmed in the making of this web page, although several were accelerated against their collective will. No files have been charged. And Remember: the only Good Cow is a Dead Cow. © 2000, 2001, 2002 Spastic Mutant Productions. All Rights Reserved.